Brain: Lag, attention and mental exhaustion. Questions.

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Hello everyone.

I'd like to have some input on a few questions, whether from medical background, experience or opinions.

I have HFA (diagnosed). I have a new diet (high-fibre, high-caloric as I have a very fast metabolism.) and that's done wonders on my physical health and energy levels. I feel far less tired after an 8-hour classes day. However mentally there's a massive difference. I can only follow 4h of class at most per day before I feel the need to sleep. Yet my body could easily walk for 10km after an 8hour class day before I would feel physically tired.

I do have high-sensitivity to external impulses so that does tired me out mentally, but I'm wondering if anyone knows any tricks that could help me relax between moments.

At school I have a darker room, which is generally nice and cool during hot weather days, and it's deserted so there's virtually no sound or other people. I intend to use that room during breaks. However I've found the 15min breaks between 2hours of class isn't enough. Especially now that I can socialise a lot more (and want to). I could sit in class with ear buds and listen to music (It's 4h in a row of individual work, but we may talk/socialise while we do it). I don't want to isolate myself like that and lose all chance of making friends and just having fun with my other class mates.

I've been thinking of, during that class, playing some mini games on my laptop for 5-10 mins every once and a while to relax and see if that works. But the issue still remains that I get very exhausted mentally by external stimuli. I hear everything, I see everything. Heat, cold, all kinds of sensations take a toll on me very fast.

I just don't know how to let my brain relax other than to sleep, which I cannot do in school/public). One other thing I'm trying, and which worked a bit yesterday on a long term basis; is to be very relaxed and slower in everything I do. Basically I put myself in a state where I don't think so much on everything, no thousands of ways the day could go. Just relaxed as if I was on some relaxation drug, but purely from selfcontrol. It's hard but seemed to have worked a bit. During class and right after (1h after) I was mentally drained so much I could fall asleep on the spot), but by the time I got home I felt a lot more awake again.

Still I'd love to know if anyone has these issues too and if you have any ways of coping with them that I could try.


As a last minor question; past 3 days I've noticed a delay in processing speed (at random times), I experience my brain lagging behind what I do. I move my head or watch something move and I get disorientated and slightly dizzy because my brain didn't catch up with what happened yet. I'm unsure what the cause is. I'm physically fit, due to my diet. I now get all the nutrients I need and I'm not low on energy any more. I used to have this sometimes due to exhaustion, but the past three days it happened even when I'm wide awake in the morning. I'm keeping a very detailed log right now with all events like this. If the problem doesn't go away by the end of the week I'm going to my doctor with it. But since I'm here, I may as well ask; what's up with my brain? Any ideas what could cause this?

I know it reads a bit chaotically, sorry for that!
Thanks in advance

You sound just like me.

I'm ALWAYS tired. I also have a fast metabolism, and have to eat the same kind of diet. I have, however, reactive hypoglycemia, which makes a fast metabolism twice as bad.
That leaves me with my question: how OFTEN are you eating? Perhaps you need to break up your meals? Also, slow processing can be a result of external stresses and burnout - I view it as a mini-shutdown, and for me, it's a precursor to a bigger one.

I have a similar schedule and set up as you. You need chunks and regular, scheduled rest. You're obviously pushing it for too long and that could pave the way for a major shutdown.

Believe me - you don't want that to happen. It's TORTURE.

I eat regularly now;

This is my diet atm, I'm still fine-tuning it though. I suspect my 15.30 snack may be insufficient.

5:30-6:15 ; 2 coffies
6:15-6:45 ; banana sandwich
10:00 ; high-caloric fruit drink (300 kcal) (costs 3 euro a bottle.., from drugstore)
12:15 ; lunch -2 sandwiches with cheese, meat, carrot strips, lettuce, egg and mayo + tiny tomatoes as finisher + fruit juice (multi-fruit + "extra-vitamins")
15:30 ; chocolate milk or fruit-milk drink + biscuits
18:00 ; Dinner, this is standard warm meal; potatoes, vegetables and meat.
20:30 ; final snack or fruit-milk drink (think very liquid yoghurt)

I usually don't get to the 20:30 part since I tend to go to bed at 19.00 due to exhaustion. On free days I nap for 1-3h after lunch most of the time.

You need to train yourself to take breaks that actually let your brain rest. Playing video games helps with any anxiety issues from socializing, but puts your brain closer to exhaustion. Maybe you could only play the games when you need to--to relieve social stress. Otherwise, train yourself to just sit quietly and wait. Not easy, when there is so much pressure to do so much, but you will find that being well rested will allow you to work faster, and actually accomplish more, than if you were working tired.

Actually a simple game like patience or bejeweled are very relaxing. They're so mind numbingly easy I can play them without effort. It's more relaxing than doing nothing and letting my mind wander aimlessly at dozens of things. I'll probably install bejeweled and see how it works. Being able to set my mind away from the class assignments for 10 mins is going to do a lot. Most of the work right now = 2x 2 hours of reading trough research papers to filter stuff I don't need.

I usually have to sleep, or take a brief nap when I'm mentally exhausted. Can you find a quiet place to relax and do nothing, close your eyes, and put on ear muffs? That or a cup of tea (green) might help.

First off, can you write a list of high fiber foods you're eating?

I googled a typical high fiber list:

Amaranth, grain
Barley, pearled, cooked
Buckwheat groats, cooked
Popcorn, air popped
Oats (old fashioned), dry
Rye flour, dry
Millet, cooked
Quinoa, cooked
Teff, grain, dry
Triticale, flour, dry
Wheat berries, dry
Wild rice, cooked
Wheat flour (whole wheat), dry
Brown rice, cooked
Bulgur, cooked
Bread (whole wheat), sliced
Crackers, rye wafers
Spaghetti (whole wheat), cooked

Raspberries, Blueberries,
Currants (red and white),
Strawberries, raw
Boysenberries, frozen
Gooseberries, raw
Loganberries, frozen
Elderberries, raw
Blackberries, raw

Lima beans, cooked
Adzuki beans, cooked
Broad beans (fava), cooked
Black beans, cooked
Garbanzo beans
Lentils, cooked
Cranberry beans, cooked
Black turtle soup beans, cooked
Kidney beans, cooked
Navy beans, cooked
White beans, small, cooked
French beans, cooked
Mung beans, cooked
Yellow beans, cooked
Pinto beans, cooked

Oat bran, raw
Wheat bran, raw
Corn bran, raw
Rice bran, raw
Fiber One Bran Cereal
All-Bran Cereal
Fiber One Chewy Bars

Cow peas (blackeyes), cooked
Pigeon peas, cooked
Peas, split, cooked
Peas, green, frozen
Peas (edible podded), cooked

Turnip greens, cooked
Mustard greens, cooked
Collard greens, cooked
Spinach, cooked
Beet greens, cooked
Swiss chard, cooked

Almonds
Pistachio nuts
Cashews
Peanuts
Walnuts
Brazil nuts
Pinon nuts
Nuts, salted, roasted, coated

Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Sesame seeds
Flaxseed, freshly grounded (stored in fridge)

Crookneck squash, cooked
Summer scallop squash, cooked
Hubbard squash, cooked
Zucchini squash, cooked
Acorn squash, cooked
Spaghetti squash, cooked

Kale, cooked
Cauliflower, cooked
Kohlrabi, raw
Savoy cabbage, cooked
Broccoli, cooked
Brussels sprouts, cooked
Red cabbage, cooke

Russet potato, flesh and skin
Red potato, flesh and skin
Sweet potato, flesh and skin

Banana
Pear
Orange
Apple
Apple juice
Prunes,
Raisins
Peaches, dried
Figs, dried
Starfruit (carambola), raw
Asian pear, raw
Guava, raw

Persimmons, raw
Avocado, raw
Edamame, frozen
Taro, sliced

Nature's Own Double Fiber
Wheat Bread
Wasa Crispbread, Fiber Rye
Weight Watcher's
Flakes 'N Fiber
Silk Soy Milk Plus Fiber
High Fiber Hot Cereal
Tropicana Orange Juice
Gnu Foods High Fiber Bar
Fiber One Yoplait Yogurt

This is just a fiber-rich list. Now re-read the list and take out all of the bolded words from the list, out of your diet. See what happens. Add lots of organic meats, fermented foods (if you can), and eggs. If you have access to raw milk, great.

Thanks for the list. I think I'm going to keep trying the stuff I eat still. Generally my diet is a lot more whole bread and pasta than I usually eat.

I went to my doctor and apparently, my dermatologist subscribed me too much anti-biotics. I was probably slowly overdosing on them. She didn't calculate my low weight into the dose. My doc put me on half of the dose and once this pack runs out I can half that again. Was taking 2x 300mg a day, now to 300mg a day, and in two weeks I'm at 300mg every 2 days.

Since I halved my dose I've been feeling better but it's still too early to tell, It'll be another day or two before I may jump to conclusions. The half-time of the anti-biotics is 12h.

I would take the break and pasta out of your diet and see if it helps.

I have something similar, I call it brain lag, because for example I’m laying down on my bed and I look at the celling, then I look somewhere else and my brain seems to lag causing this video-game type lag, my brain takes the celling and moves it to whatever I look, even if it’s another part of the celling, I don’t have to move my head, just my eyes and that happens.
I have that dyslexia thing and at first I thought that it was something related to that but usually the dyslexia kicks in when I’m reading text or doing math not when I’m 100% relax and not thinking on anything.